Drop-head cabinet for sewing-machines.



E. E. MANNING.

DROP HEAD CABINET FOB, SEWING MACHINES.

APRLIGATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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8858: mn/mron THE NORRIS PETERS (20., PHOT0-L!THO., WASHING I'ON, D. c.

B. E. MANNING.

DROP HEAD CABINET FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910.

9A 1 Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WITNESSES: l/Vl/E/V TOR (En c I M My ATTORNEY E. E. MANNING. DROP HEAD CABINET FOR SEWING MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 22, 1910. 119,41 Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

IN l/E/V TOR WITNESSES:

BY M 251- his A [TOR/VEY IHE NORRIS PETERS CO, PHOTO LITHU. \VAfzH/h'b/ON D c.

, an rare 'rn OFFTQ.

EDWARD E. MANNING, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, ASSIG'NOR TO THE STANDARD SEWING MACHINE COMPANY, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO, A CORPORATION OF OHIO.

DROP-HEAD CABINET FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Pwbignt5fl IF b, 23, 1915,

Application filed June 22,1910. Serial No. 568,378. I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD E. MANNING, citizen of the United States, and resident of Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Drop-Head Cabinets for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of sewing machine cabinets, known as drop head cabinets, which are provided with a vertically movable bed or platform for the support of the machine, which is operative to drop or lower the machine into the cabi net when not in use, and to raise the machine through an opening in the top of the cabinet when desired for use; the raising and lowering of the machine and its supporting bed or platform being effected by the operation of a folding or swinging leaf in combination with suitable intermediate mechanism.

The prime object of this invention is to so construct and arrange the operating mechanism for raising and lowering the sewing machine head that the latter will, upon being elevated to operative position at the top of the cabinet, have imparted thereto an endwise movement sufficiently far to bring the needle to a position approximately at the longitudinal center of the cabinet and directly in front of the operator when at work, who will thus be enabled to sit naturally and at ease while sewing instead of assuming the usual unnatural laterally bent and strainedposition made necessary when the needle is at one side of the operator as in sewing machines in use at the present time; such change in position from an unnatural to a natural one enabling the operator to work without liability of injury to the health and at the same time ren dering the work to be performed less tiresome.

WVith this and other minor objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a front elevation of a sewing machine cabinet embodying my invention with the sewing machine in position for use; Fig. 2, a rear elevation of the same, the cabinet being shown partly broken away and in section to disclose the internal mechanism; Fig. 3, a view similar to Fig. 2 with the sewing machine lowered into the cabinet; Fig. 4, an end elevation of the invention viewed from the driving side with the cabinet in section on the line H of Fig. 2; Fig. 5, a detail sectional view on the line 55 of Fig. 4:.

Like reference characters are used for the same parts in all the figures.

In the drawing, 1 indicates a cabinet supported on legs or frames 2 and having a flat top or table 3, similiar to the usual sewmg machine table, through which top is made anopening 4: of suflicient size to permit the machine supporting bed or platform 5 and its supported machine m to pass therethrough. Surrounding the opening 4: and attached to the table 3 is a frame 6, the inner edges of which are practically flush with the opening 4 except at the driving end of the table where the inner edge 7 of the frame is set back from said opening (see Fig. 5). Hinged to the outer edge of the frame 6 on the needle side is a folding leaf 8 adapted to cover the opening 1 when the machine is within the cabinet, and to form an extension of the table, flush with the frame 6, when the machine is in operative position (see Figs. 1 and 2).

Secured exteriorly on the rear wall 1 of the cabinet is a bearing 9 in which. is journaled a short rocking shaft 10 extending into the cabinet and there provided with a gear wheel or segment 11.. On the outer end of the rocking shaft 10 is attached an arm 12, connected through the medium of a reach-bar 13 with the folding leaf 8, so that when the leaf is swung to either uncover or close the opening 4, the arm 12 will be raised and lowered. The respective arcs described by said leaf and lever are indicated in dot and dash lines a and b, Fig. 1.

Bolted 'or otherwise fastened on the inside of the rear wall of the cabinet is a bar or plate 1 1 at the ends of which are pivoted swinging lever arms 15 and 15, and to a depending bracket 16 forming a part of said bar or plate 14: is pivoted a lever'17 having ailixed to its inner side a gear wheel or segment 18 in mesh with the gear or segment 11 heretofore referred to.

Fastened securely on the underside of the sewing machine supporting bed 5 are two brackets 19 and 20, depending respectively inclosed by from the front and rear edges of said bed. Projecting downwardly from the bracket 20 at a point between its ends is a rigid arm 21 to which the free end of the lever 17 is pivoted, and to the ends of said bracket 20 are pivoted the arms 15 and 15*. The arm 15, as shown in the present case, is mounted on the rear end of a horizontal shaft 22 which is journaled at one end in said bar or plate 14 near the driving end wall of the cabinet 1, and at its opposite end in a bearing 23 fastened to said wall. Another arm, 15, similar to the arm 15, is mounted on the forward end of said shaft 22 with its free end pivoted to the bracket 19.

The swinging arms 15 and 15 are transversely connected by a brace 24 which is shown in the present case as semicircular in cross-section and concentric with the shaft 22. The arms 15 and 15 with their con necting brace 24: thus form an integral structure which is loosely mounted on the shaft 22 to turn and swing thereon. Surrounding the shaft 22 is one or more torsion springs 25, two being shown in the drawings, partly the brace 24. These springs are each connected at one end with the shaft 22, which is normally held stationary by means of a pawl and ratchet device as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 8, and at their opposite ends said springs engage the lower edge of the brace 24 as shown, whereby they will operate as a counterbalance for the machine upon the raising and lowering of the same. The said pawl and ratchet connection with the shaft 22 is adapted to permit of the latter being turned to regulate the tension of the springs 25 in usual and well known manner.

The are described by the lever 17 in its movement is indicated in Fig. 1 by the dash and dot line a, the arc of the levers 15 and 15 by a similar line d, and of lever 15 by the line 6.

In the operation of the invention as thus far described, let it be assumed that the sewing machine is in its lowered position, represented in Fig. 3. If, now, the free end of the leaf 8 be grasped and turned on its hinges through an arc of one hundred and eighty degrees, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, the lever 12, through the reach bar 13, will be rocked and, operating through the intermeshing segment gears 11 and 18, cause the swinging end of the lever 17, to move upward with the connected bed or platform 5 and raise the supported sewing machine to operative position. During the first part of the movement of the lever 17, the sewing machine will rise substantially vertical be cause of the angular position of said lever at the beginning of its movement. The continued movement of the lever 17, besides elevating the sewing machine, begins to move it endwise in the direction of its driving end until the lever is nearly vertical, at which time the sewing machine will be in the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 5. The final movement of the lever carries the sewing machine supporting bed 5 into the set back portion 7 of the frame 6, thereby bringing the needle of the sewing machine to the longitudinal center line of the cabinet. A flap-section 5 hinged on the needle end of the bed 5, is provided to close the space between the bed 5 and the table, when the sewlng machine is raised, as shown in Fig. 1.

lVhen the machine is in raised operative position, its supporting bed 5 is supported at three corners thereof by the arms 15, 15, and 15. As a means to support said bed at its fourth and remaining corner, a bracket plate 38 is attached to the table 3 in position to permit the bed 5 to pass thereover and rest upon the same when the machine is raised to operative position, as shown. When it is desired to again lower the machine into the cabinet, such operation may be effected by a reverse movement of the leaf 8 in a manner as will be understood, without further description.

The cabinet 1 has swinging doors 26 on its front side and an open bottom to afford room for the knees of the operator. But when the sewing machine is lowered within the cabinet and the doors closed it is desirable that the bottom be closed to prevent the entrance of dust, etc. For this purpose a bottom plate 27, substantially as long as the space between the side walls of the cabinet, is hinged near the rear side of the cabinet in blocks 28, 28, on said side walls, and at its free end is connected by a rod 29 with the bracket 20 on the sewing machine support ing bed 5. The parts are so proportioned that when the sewing machine is in elevated position, the bottom plate 27 stands substantially upright, as in Figs. 1, 2 and 1-, whereby an open and unobstructed knee space is provided, and when said machine is lowered the bottom plate turns downward and closes the bottom of the cabinet.

The sewing machine is driven by a foot treadle 30 through suitable connections, which treadle is located in a position centrally between the sides of the cabinet, or the legs thereof. This central position of the treadle is the usual one, as well known, and it will therefore be understood that the positioning of the machine with its needle at the longitudinal center of the cabinet as hereinbefore described, is also intended to position the needle substantially in line with the center of said treadle.

The treadle 30 is aflixed to the center of a rock shaft 31 which is pivoted on the legs 2 and provided with an arm 32 extending outside one of said legs and pivoted to a connecting rod 33 on the driving wheel 34-, which latter is mounted on a short shaft out 1,129,412 in it side the cabinet and inclosed in a compartment separate from the latter formed by a housing 35 extending from one end thereof. This location of the driving wheel 34: and its connected rod or pitman 33 outside the cabinet, is most desirable in that it avoids possibility of the operators clothes becoming caught or entangled in the same, or soiled by contact therewith, and also provides a completely unobstructed knee space between the side walls of the cabinet. From the driving wheel 3% a belt extends over a grooved belt wheel 37 on the sewing machine by means of which the latter is operated. At that end of the cabinet opposite the driving Wheel 34: is a case 36 containing drawers for the reception of the various attachments, etc., accompanying a sewing machine.

This cabinet, although designed more particularly for use with a sewing machine, may also be employed in connection with a typewriting machine, talking machine, and other small mechanisms which it may be desirable to inclose and protect when not in use.

What I claim is:

1. In combination with a cabinet having an opening therein and an offset seat on the top of the cabinet about the opening, a machine adapted to rest within said opening, means for lifting the machine out of the opening and supporting means comprising parallel arms pivoted to the cabinet and to the machine adapted to carry and guide the machine in an uninterrupted curved path about an axis of rotation out of the cabinet through said opening and on to said seat.

2. In a machine cabinet, and in combination with a machine carried thereby, of swinging means for supporting said machine comprising parallel arms pivoted to the cabinet and to the machine, a lever pivoted on said cabinet and connected to said machine for moving the same on said arms in an uninterrupted curved path about an axis of rotation into and from the cabinet through an opening therein, a second lever geared to the first-named lever, and a swinging leaf connected by a link to said second lever.

3. In combination, a sewing machine cabinet having supports therebeneath and being provided with lateral compartments exterior of and above the supports, a sewing machine in the cabinet and means for operating said machine including a driving wheel, said driving wheel being supported wholly exterior of and above the supports and located within one of said lateral compartments.

4:. A sewing machine cabinet having an opening in its top to permit a sewing machine to pass into and out of said cabinet,

an arm pivoted on said cabinet, a swinging lever connected to said arm and adapted to oscillate the same, a swinging lever mounted ona separate pivot from said swinging arm and operatively geared thereto, the free end of said swinging lever being pivoted to said machine for moving it into and out of the cabinet when the swinging lever is operated, independent pivoted supports for holding said machine in elevated position and a counterbalance for the machine.

5. A sewing machine cabinet having an opening in its top to permit a sewing machine to pass into and out of said cabinet, a rock shaft journaled in one side of the cabinet carrying a gear wheel on its inner end, an arm secured on the outer end of said rock shaft, a swinging leaf connected to said arm and adapted to oscillate the same, a fixed frame within the cabinet, a swinging lever pivoted thereon, said lever connected at its free end to the sewing machine and provided with a gear wheel engaging the gear wheel on the rock shaft for raising and lowering the machine when the swinging leaf is operated, swinging supports pivoted on the fixed frame and connected at their free ends to the machine for holding the same in elevated position, and a counterbalance for the machine.

6. A sewing machine cabinet having an opening in its top to permit a sewing machine to pass into and out of said cabinet, an arm pivoted on said cabinet, a swinging leaf connected to said arm and adapted to oscillate the same, a swinging lever geared to the oscillating arm andpivotally connected to the sewing machine for moving said sewing machine into and out of the cabinet when the swinging lever is operated, and swinging arms having the same radius as the swinging lever pivoted to the cabinet and to the sewing machine for supporting the sewing machine when elevated and in operative position.

7. In a machine cabinet provided with a top having an opening therethrough and an open bottom, a machine adapted to be moved into and out of the cabinet through said opening, means for imparting such motion to said machine, a swinging bottom plate in said cabinet adapted to close the open bottom, and means connecting said swinging plate to the machine for simultaneously closing and opening said bottom as the machine is moved into and withdrawn from the cabinet.

8. In a machine cabinet and in combination with a machine adapted to be moved into and out of said cabinet, an arm pivoted on the outside of said cabinet, a swinging leaf hinged to the cabinet and adapted to oscillate said arm, a lever pivoted within the cabinet and connected by gearing with said arm, said lever being pivotally connected at its free end to said machine, a Cuyahoga, and State of Ohio, this 17th day swinging bottom plate, and a connection of June, A. D. 1910. between said plate and the machine Where- EDWARD E. MANNING. by said plate moves n unison with the ma 5 chine for opening and closing the open bot- Witnesses:-

tom of the cabinet. CHAS. C. EMMoNs,

Signed at Cleveland, in the county of W. C. VALKER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

